Sanjay Dutt received immense praise for playing SP Chaudhary Aslam in Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster films Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar 2. The success of the franchise also marked a major turnaround for the actor at the box office after a series of underperforming films such as Bhoomi, Kalank, Panipat, and Shamshera. Now, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has spoken candidly about Dutt’s career, saying the actor’s talent had not been utilised properly before Dhurandhar.During an appearance on the InControversial Podcast, Gupta reflected on Dutt’s journey and revealed that the two have been discussing future collaborations. “We are constantly in touch. We have been working on what to do next. My problem is that it has to come organically. If you see from 2007, we made Lokhandwala, and we released Wadala in 2014, but it took those many years for the story. So likewise, now I am seeing Sanju do all this and he is doing a great job, there’s no denying that,” he said.The filmmaker further shared his thoughts on how Dutt had been presented in films over the years. “But before Dhurandhar, I feel he has also been grossly wasted. The kind of films that he has done…the filmmakers did not know how to present him. They didn’t know his strengths, and they didn’t take that time out to study. I didn’t have to study; I grew up with him.”Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Gupta have previously collaborated on several popular films, including Kaante, Musafir, and Shootout at Lokhandwala. Speaking about the long-discussed sequel to the 2002 cult crime drama Kaante, Gupta revealed that work on the project has finally begun. “Today also when I see him, there’s still so much potential and he can carry a film on his shoulders but provided we give him that film. That is what we were constantly going back and forth on. We have also cracked a very base level story for Kaante 2. That is something I will now start writing,” he shared.The filmmaker also explained that legal hurdles had previously delayed the sequel. “After Kaante, it was bound in some legal shackles, which has been taken care of now. So, because that is taken care of, I am investing in it creatively – into writing the sequel. So, let’s see where it goes,” he added.
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Gupta even revealed the cast he envisions for the sequel if everything falls into place. “If you ask me for my wish list today, I would make Kaante with Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan and Manoj Bajpayee, and to this, add Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, and Ali Fazal.”Over the years, Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Gupta have shared a close personal and professional bond, though reports once suggested that the duo had a fallout in 2007 over financial issues. Around 2013, they reconciled and have since repeatedly expressed interest in working together again.